Shloka 52

Adhyaya 4: अहोरात्र-युग-मन्वन्तर-कल्पमान तथा प्रलयान्ते सृष्ट्युपक्रमः

Devanagari script

साधर्म्येणावतिष्ठेते प्रधानपुरुषावुभौ गुणानां चैव वैषम्ये विप्राः सृष्टिरिति स्मृता

Transliteration

sādharmyeṇāvatiṣṭhete pradhānapuruṣāvubhau guṇānāṃ caiva vaiṣamye viprāḥ sṛṣṭiriti smṛtā

Translation

Lorsque Pradhāna (la Nature primordiale) et Puruṣa (le principe conscient) demeurent en équilibre, dans une même condition, la création ne s’élance pas. Mais quand les guṇa deviennent inégaux et troublés, ô brāhmaṇas, ce déséquilibre même est tenu pour l’apparition de la création.

Word by Word

• साधर्म्येण (sādharmyeṇa): by sameness/equilibrium of condition

• अवतिष्ठेते (avatiṣṭhete): they remain established

• प्रधान (pradhāna): primordial material cause, Prakṛti

• पुरुष (puruṣa): conscious principle, witness-self

• उभौ (ubhau): both

• गुणानाम् (guṇānām): of the guṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas)

• च एव (caiva): and indeed

• वैषम्ये (vaiṣamye): in inequality/imbalance

• विप्राः (viprāḥ): O sages/brāhmaṇas

• सृष्टिः (sṛṣṭiḥ): creation/emanation

• इति (iti): thus

• स्मृता (smṛtā): is declared/remembered in tradition

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Pradhana
• Purusha
• Gunas

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames creation as arising from guṇa-imbalance, reminding the devotee that the Liṅga signifies Mahādeva as Pati—the Lord who both governs the guṇas in manifestation and transcends them in worship, leading the pashu (soul) beyond guṇa-bound experience.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

By implication, Shiva-tattva is the supreme regulator and witness beyond Pradhāna–Puruṣa interplay: while prakṛti and puruṣa condition the field of experience, Shiva as Pati is the transcendent ground enabling order, dissolution, and liberation from guṇa-driven bondage (pāśa).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The key takeaway is guṇa-transcendence: Pāśupata-oriented sādhana (japa, dhyāna, and Liṅga-pūjā) aims to quiet rajas–tamas disturbance and stabilize awareness, so the pashu is no longer compelled by guṇa-vaiṣamya.